I would like to begin this review by stating that I am not an expert in contemporary jazz let alone jazz in general. I have listened to a few albums by some of the more well-known guys, mostly Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, but am a tenderfoot in regard to the genre of jazz. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed GoGo Penguin’s most recent album, “A Humdrum Star”. What peaked my interest about this progressive jazz trio was when Mark mentioned that artists like Kendrick Lamar were inspired by what artists like GoGo Penguin was doing.

Katie Frank is a singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that recently released her first full length album “All You’ll Get From Greed”. Her style is easy to listen to pop-rock. Her sound reminds me of a generic track that you could find on Radio Disney. That is to say, this album is very beige. While listening to this album, I zoned out and went from track 2 to track 7 without noticing that I had been listening to an album. The instrumental performances are somewhat lackluster and unimaginative.

Jackson MacIntosh is a singer song writer who recorded the majority of his latest album at the Drones Club in Montreal. MacIntosh blends the sytles of indie rock and 60s/70s pop rock together in order to create the sound of this album, "My Dark Side". Think of it as The Shins meets the Beatles (White Album). Although the album is generally warm, which surprised me due to the album art and the title of the album, I find it quite bland and unmemorable.

Injury Reserve is a hip-hop trio hailing from Tempe Arizona. With the two lead rappers being Stepa J. Groggs and Ritchie With a T and Parker Corey working on production, the trio combines the flows and lyricism of jazz rap and modernizes it into the current landscape of hip-hop with their lush production and cacophonous bangers. In their performance at Club Congress, they performed a wide variety of songs spanning from their first album all the way up to their most recent EP, Drive It Like It’s Stolen (2017).

Those who have listened to Frankie Cosmos in the past are used to her playful lyrics, such as "your name is a triangle, your heart is a square" and this album still has that very unique style of writing. Her songs and lyrics have always felt like miniature diary entires to me, and Vessel pushes that idea even more so because these songs are more introspective and self reflective than albums before. I don't want to reduce Frankie Cosmos to the term "relatable" because her music is so much more unique than that, but I think that's what makes this album so great.

This single is a new release from the band Kobra and the Lotus. Their 5th album, Prevail II comes out later this month on April 27th. They are a hard rock/metal band with a classical female singer, they sound similar to Epica to me.

Did somebody say "party"? No? Well, Andrew W.K. definitely did. For example, the lyrics of the first song, "The Power of Partying", is composed of only the word "partying." What this album lacks in seriousness it makes up with feel good vibes and music. Andrew W.K. is genuinely a fun guy who oozes positivity and this album similarly reflects the creator's personality.

Sounds Like:

Titus Andronicus - A little more "corny" than Titus but has the same chanting and overall good vibes feel

Did somebody say "party"? No? Well, Andrew W.K. definitely did. For example, the lyrics of the first song, "The Power of Partying", is composed of only the word "partying." What this album lacks in seriousness it makes up with feel good vibes and music. Andrew W.K. is genuinely a fun guy who oozes positivity and this album similarly reflects the creator's personality.

Sounds Like:

Titus Andronicus - A little more "corny" than Titus but has the same chanting and overall good vibes feel

Did somebody say "party"? No? Well, Andrew W.K. definitely did. For example, the lyrics of the first song, "The Power of Partying", is composed of only the word "partying." What this album lacks in seriousness it makes up with feel good vibes and music. Andrew W.K. is genuinely a fun guy who oozes positivity and this album similarly reflects the creator's personality.

Sounds Like:

Titus Andronicus - A little more "corny" than Titus but has the same chanting and overall good vibes feel